Chester Mass History Museum

10/17/2026

Today at 1pm

10/13/2026

10/09/2026

Vendors wanted:
Snowflake Craft Fair
Saturday, November 7
9am - 3pm
Chester Town Hall

If you are interested in a booth please DM us and we will provide you with the registration information.

NOTE: Comments have been turned off for this post to prevent scammers from contacting you. There is no way to register or pay for this craft fair online, the only way is to DM us and we will provide you with the registration information.

09/27/2026

Today in Chester history: September 27, 1973

09/27/2026

Last open house of the year: Sunday September 27 from 11am to 3pm.

09/20/2026

Why is that called that?

Johnson Hill Road.

Jesse Johnson was one of the original 52 settlers of Murrayfield (later Chester). He brought his family from Southampton and at a proprietors meeting in 1763 he drew lot 116 which today would be in Middlefield, however he transferred for lot 44 which was at the top of what is today Johnson Hill Road. That is where he cleared the land and built his house.

The original settlers had to meet certain goals in order to obtain their lot for free, including building a house, clearing the land and remaining on the land for 6 years. Of the original 52 settlers 36 achieved the goals and received their land, including Jesse.

In 1769 he was on the committee to negotiate the contract and salary with the first called minister, the Reverend Aaron Bascom, and when the church was formed he was one of the first deacons.

During the Revolutionary War he served on both the Committee of Correspondence and the Committee of Safety and Inspection, as well as answering the Bennington Alarm as a MinuteMan.

You can learn more about Jesse and his fellow MinuteMen at Chester’s observance of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Saturday, October 17 at 1pm, First Church of Chester, 334 Skyline Trail.

09/19/2026

Open House: Sunday September 20 from 11am-3pm.

09/12/2026

Open House: Sunday, September 13
11am - 3pm

09/07/2026

It’s Labor Day so here are some pictures of workers at their Chester place of labor.